A civics quiz for Colorado voters:
1. What’s the difference between an initiative and a referendum?
2. What are “527” committees?
3. Why is it a bad idea to put many issues into the state constitution?
If you don’t know the answers, you’re not alone.
Earlier this year, a study sponsored by the Intercollegiate Studies Institute showed U.S. high school and college students alike failing in “civic literacy,” the knowledge of how our government works. And it’s not just young people who lack such basic understanding. In the November election, I was asked all of the questions above multiple times by conscientious people trying hard to understand the issues.
The difficulty of getting citizens to understand the basics of governance and the issues facing their communities led the Colorado Municipal League to establish a Civics Awareness Program in 2001. Sam Mamet, executive director of the league, says, “Cities and towns work constantly to reach out to residents. They use newsletters, cable television, radio shows, surveys, boards and commissions – any number of approaches to inform citizens and seek their input. But with everyone leading such busy lives, it’s difficult to engage people.”
The program was developed to recognize efforts by cities and towns to engage and educate citizens, and to provide examples that other communities could adapt, he says. Two of the 2006 winners were the cities of Evans and Wheat Ridge.
Beginning in 2004, Evans launched several outreach efforts to stimulate citizen involvement. Like many other cities, Evans began distributing a newsletter that included information about meetings, recreational opportunities and police and fire updates. The newsletter was included in monthly utility bills. To encourage citizen feedback, comment cards were inserted into recreation department brochures, and the city’s website was updated to allow direct comment from residents to the city council. Citizen committees were formed to examine issues such as transportation improvements, and the city began hosting “town hall meetings” in its neighborhoods.
A different approach, and one that may be unique in the metro area, originated in Wheat Ridge. In 2005, that city formed a nonprofit organization charged with identifying issues facing the city, then suggesting policies and implementation strategies. The city funded the five-year project, Wheat Ridge 2020, with $1 million the first year. The nonprofit is governed by a 14-member board of directors representing a wide range of business, nonprofit, civic and educational groups. A total of 100 “voting members” help guide policy by serving on committees, and an infinite number of “friends” receive ongoing information about Wheat Ridge 2020’s work.
Among the projects envisioned by the nonprofit is a Citizens’ Planning Academy that will teach residents the ins and outs of planning and zoning. Another project will educate citizens about economic realities, including the need for commercial development if the city is to be sustainable. Neighborhood block grant programs are included (nine grants were issued this year), and a housing rehabilitation loan program is in the planning stages.
Now for answers to the quiz.
1. Initiatives come from petitions circulated by citizens; referendums are “referred” to the voters by the legislature.
2. “527” committees are named for Section 527 in the IRS code. The committees raise money and campaign on issues and candidates, but cannot coordinate with the candidate or political parties in any way. In the last election, 527 committees were responsible for many of the most negative ads that bombarded voters.
3. It’s a bad idea to put policies into the state constitution because if there are any complications, or when economic or social conditions change, the issues are “locked in.” It takes a statewide vote of the people to alter the constitution, a difficult and expensive process. A recent example was Referendum C; it cost $10 million and a huge political effort to remove the state’s TABOR cap for just five years.
The cities of Colorado should be praised for their efforts to encourage civic literacy. And those of you who care about the future of your communities but who failed the civics quiz may want to try to carve out a little time to get more involved. Civic literacy is essential to a healthy democracy.
